Majority Leader Hoyer Statement on Report Criticizing FBI's Use of National Security Letters

For Immediate Release:

March 9, 2007

Contact:Stacey Farnen Bernards202-225-3130

WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) made the following statement today in response to the Justice Department's Inspector General's report criticizing the F.B.I.'s use of National Security Letters:

"I am deeply troubled by the Inspector General's report finding that the nation's premier law enforcement agency failed to implement and diligently follow all the controls necessary in obtaining thousands of financial and communications records.

"In the days ahead, Americans who believe that the effort to prevent acts of terror against the United States need not and must not come at the expense of cherished civil liberties can expect a vigorous congressional investigation into this matter.

"In the meantime, President Bush, Attorney General Gonzales, and F.B.I. Director Mueller owe it to the American people to explain how they will correct the problems detailed in the report. It is not enough for this Administration to claim that it is upset by today's disclosures. It must also take full responsibility for the errors that occurred, hold the appropriate officials accountable for what happened, and, most important, ensure that it does not happen again."